


HELLBOY AND THE CLEARWATERS OF HIGHGATE

by shogas



Category: Hellboy (Comics)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 04:52:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19456738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shogas/pseuds/shogas
Summary: The year is 1963 and vampire sightings in Highgate, London are taking the village by storm. Hellboy, the best paranormal investigator in the business, is sent out to put the village's minds at ease whether that means debunking the sightings, or taking out some scary creatures of the night.





	HELLBOY AND THE CLEARWATERS OF HIGHGATE

A fine layer of snow on the ground on that early winter morning in Highgate. It was far too cold and far too soon to be up for the agent, but he still trudged on through the ill weather in hopes of quickly completing his task. The soft crunching of snow underfoot as he went down the street seeking out the cemetery was the only sound to be heard, aside from the grumbling and complaining he shot into the air. 

Hellboy had been sent to London for what sounded to be an easy enough task; to look into the vampire sightings at Highgate cemetery and take care of any supernatural threat. Though said "threat" sounded more to be tall tales or pranks gone too far. Most sightings had included the dead rising from their graves or glimpsing a hideous figure, no real evidence other than word of mouth. The workload didn't bother him though, he was quite glad to have gotten such a simple job for once. Or so he had thought. 

" Aw, crap," he'd all but muttered. As Hellboy approached the graveyard, soft voices could be heard along with the sound of something dense being dragged across the snow. The lantern he kept in hand revealed bloodied drag marks across the sleet, which would either prove that yes, there was a vampire or that someone had just committed a heinous murder. Getting closer, the dragging and chatter stopped, light exposing two wicked figures both pale and wrinkled and grotesque to look at. They both hissed, the shorter and plumper of the duo dropping the deer carcass that had been dragging behind; well, that answers that. 

He stumbled backward as the taller, more slender figure advanced, fingers snapping and causing bodies to jut out of there graves, grabbing his legs or feet. The shock of the event caused the lantern to drop from his right fist. "Damn," he'd grumble as he watched the flame flicker and die out. Without so much as a warning, the short figure was coming for his throat, claws tearing into his coat, ripping out holes and shreds of fabric. "Hey, hey, easy on the outfit," banter being the only thing keeping him calm in the moment. And the moment after that, he'd grabbed his attacker with his stone fist, and tossing them away like a wad of discarded paper. 

"That takes care of one."

Though the other seemed to have disappeared, as well as the hands which had been dragging down his legs and the bloodied deer carcass. He knew in his heart of hearts that whatever they were after here, it couldn't be good. 

Adjusting himself and collecting his now broken lantern, Hellboy decided he'd report in for now and call it a night. It was getting close to sunrise by now and he'd been out on his search since at least four in the morning. So, once he'd made his arrival back at his discrete and temporary living situation, he gave the B.P.R.D. a call and status update: that there was definitely something there to look into. 

The next night, as he was preparing to go out again, he'd received a call from Abe. "You know, old friend, I think I've come across something you'll find... Interesting." The way he spoke peaked the agent's curiosity, that was for certain. 

"That right? Go on then."

Doctor Sapien continued on, "The Clearwater family, I'm sure you've heard of them in the time you've been there. They're well known for doing business in medicine. I'm reading here that back in 1764 one of the last living members of the family, Abigail Clearwater disappeared under mysterious circumstances, her father having passed away of illness two years prior and mother having died during childbirth. The only person known to still be alive is a woman named Charlotte Clearwater, though there's no given relation between the two..." A 200 year gap between the two? There was something that really didn't sit right about that with Hellboy. He was hoping it to just be some sort of fraud, someone pretending to be a Clearwater, though with his luck it wouldn't be so simple. 

"Thanks for that, Abe. I gotta bad feeling about these Clearwater people," He sighed, going to speak again before the power had been cut off, cutting the call completely. "Abe? You there, Blue?" No response. No light in the room. Nothing but the howling of the chilled wind outside and an eerie tapping on the window behind him. When he turned to look, he saw one of the figures from the graveyard; tall and slender and the shadow of a smile could be seen held on its face. Hellboy backed away from the window, grabbing his gun, as it now swung open, darkness and snow flooding it's way in.

He felt the tall figure grab at his throat with one hand, his flesh wrist with the other. Were it not for the fact he had a claw digging dangerously close into his jugular, he'd have swung at the towering beast. "Look, creep, I don't know what you want, but I'm gonna have to ask you to lay off," Hellboy grunted, trying to get a good look at the dark figure grasping at his life. "Beast..." The figure said, it's voice hoarse yet clearly femenin in nature. "My lady... She needs you... Needs you..." That phrase wasn't something that sat right with the agent, especially as he was knocked out before having time to process any sort of reaction.

Opening his eyes, he felt groggy, cold and soaked to the bone. He couldn't quite recall where he was, what was happening. Not until he heard soft voices and cackling. "This again?" He'd thought to himself, blinking to try and clear his sight, figure out where those two shadows were. Taking a quick glance around, he could see he was lying atop an unmarked grave, the slender and plump figures looming over him, de-hooded now, wicked smiles playing on their lips. They were witches of some sort, from what he could tell, though they weren't like most witches he'd ever seen; the tall slender one had a very round, soft face, nearly motherly in nature. The short round one had what seemed to be the eyes of a goat, but a child-like face otherwise. 

"My lady needs you... Needs... Your blood!" The childish one cooed, pulling a sort of dirk from her draped sleeves. Blade in hand, she lunged at Hellboy, goat eyes full of blood-lust. Scrambling in time, he managed to block the attack with his stone hand; this was more than enough to get him angry. Angry and very stupid, as he'd call it. He pushed her back with his fist, rushing to his feet in an adrenaline and anger filled flurry. The slender witch snapped her fingers, same as their last meeting, arms rising from their graves yet again. 

"Screw this!"

Hellboy pulled the samaritan from its place on his hip, firing a shot at the necromancer, who'd screeched like an eagle as the bullet lodged its way into her chest. This was enough to cause the plump one to cry out for her ally who had crumpled to the ground, and charge again at the big red agent in vengeance for the fallen. "YOU--!!" She hissed, managing to get a clean cut into his arm of flesh. He stumbled back onto the initial unmarked grave he'd awoken on, blood spilling from him onto his clothes as well as the snow and earth below him. Before another blow could be dealt to him, Hellboy raised his gun once more, the samaritan blowing a shot clean through the round one's head. "Gotcha," He grunted, looking down at his injured arm.

As he finally settled himself down for a moment, thinking all was over, the slender witch slowly raised her hand, wrist cracking as she gave one final snap before going completely limp and lifeless. "The hell?" He thought to himself. The earth below was shifting and crumbling; something was about to pop up right where he was resting. Not wanting to get sucked straight into the ground, he crawled away, back against an adjacent grave, watching as a skeleton rose where he previously sat. The blood on the grave was absorbed into the bones, transforming it; skin and organs squelched and formed into a body, hair, eyes, nails, everything growing back in succession. It was quite a horrific show, to say the least. 

It was a woman that had grown from the grave, now sat atop a blank headstone. "And just who the hell are you?" Hellboy asked, holding his wounded arm with his stone fist. The woman looked down to him from the headstone, tilting her head as if she hadn't heard him right. The sound of snowfall and wind was all that carried to his ears for a moment before she spoke. "I'm Abigail," She replied at last, a very toothy grin shot at him. 

"Abigail... Clearwater."


End file.
